Reds captain issues rallying call ahead of Chelsea tie

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard says his side are ready to beat Chelsea, adding that the Reds have been the better side when the two have met previously this season.

For the third time in 4 years, Liverpool face Chelsea in a Champions League Semi Final, and this time around Gerrard insists Liverpool can beat Chelsea: "We really feel that we are as good as Chelsea, if not better than them. We have certainly been the better team when we've played them this season.
 
"We were the better team when we played them in the League at Anfield and again in the Champions League, only for both games to end in draws."

Gerrard also admitted how much of a blow it was to concede a last minute equaliser at Anfield last week: "We were gutted at the end of the first game because we were on top for most of the time and Chelsea scored their equaliser without really producing anything.
 
"It was a real killer us, but these things happen in football and it's now all about how we react and how we recover.
 
"Now we have got to back up a good performance with the right result."

"I'll be realistic and say the advantage lies with Chelsea now. They are a very good team and they have been very strong at home for a long time.
 
"But we have shown over the last few years that we are a very good team away from home in Europe - and we want to go to Stamford Bridge and prove ourselves again. We've got to pull a big performance and result out of the bag - and if we do qualify for the final it will be as big an achievement as anything this club has ever done in Europe.
 
"The way Chelsea celebrated at the end showed how happy they were with the 1-1 draw. They weren't being cocky, it was just that they were relieved to get that away goal.
 
"Chelsea have got a great home record and we haven't done too well down there, but history will go out of the window that night.
 
"We will give everything we've got and know that every player will have to put in a big performance if we are to do it.
 
"If they didn't have Petr Cech in goal we might already be through. He pulled off some world-class saves against us - one of them from me - and he is right up there with the very best.
 
"But you will always have a chance to win any game with a player like Fernando Torres in your team. He has been superb for us all season and with him and all the other attacking players we have got we feel we will definitely score down there."